Hercules is actually an animated parody of the Rocky Franchise (first time watching) 

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The reason why Phil comes off as a creep sometimes is because Satyrs were notoriously horny in Greek myths.

They showed his adoptive parents twice and you looked away lol

This movie is not the best place to learn about Greek mythology, but it is a good time.

I love how she wanted to see his mortal parents, but had her eyes closed when they showed them celebrating.

Hercules with Superman's origin starring in a Rocky like movie makes this my kind of Disney movie

Honestly this Disney movie gets overlooked a lot I think it's underrated especially for It soundtrack

If you've never seen it, 'The Land Before Time' was very popular but also very dark for a kids movie.

In Greek Myth, Hades isn’t actually evil like most media portray him to be, like he’s equivalent to devil. He took the role of the underworld out of necessity.

16:46 it wasn't until i got older that i realized what that meant and now its my favorite line lol "somebody call IX I I" lol

Interesting facts: Disney originally planned to premiere Hercules at Pynx Hill in Athens, Greece, but the Greek government declined. Apparently Greek critics panned the movie for its inaccuracies and creative liberties. The art direction and character design was done by English cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, most people nowadays know him as the animation director for “Pink Floyd’s The Wall”. If you look at his sketches of the Hercules characters, they REALLY do look like something from The Wall. “Go the Distance” was nominated for an Oscar, but lost to “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic. Other songs nominated were “Miss Misery” from Good Will Hunting, “How Do I Live” from Con Air, and “Journey to the Past” from Anastasia. This was the last Disney Renaissance film Alan Menken composed the music for.

Hercule’s parents did celebrate and had a whole building to themselves. 😂😂😂 19:02

YOU LOOKED AWAY WHEN THEY SHOWED HIS PARENTS AGAIN😂😂😂😂

From Diggstown to John Carpenter's Vampires James Woods is a talented actor. I also loved how Scar was the lion pelt he wore lol

Yes that is scar, it’s a callback to the lion king when zazu said he would make a very handsome throw rug .

"Meg, Meg, Meg, my sweet, deluded little MINION. Aren't we forgetting one teensey-weensey, but ever-so-crucial, little, tiny detail? I OWN YOU!!!!!!!" This is why Hades is my favorite Disney Villain.

"I trained all those would-be heroes. Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus. A lotta eus-es!" 😂😂😂😂😂😂

19:15 This is where the original ‘WHAT ARE THOSE’ came from 18 YEARS AGO! Coincidence? I think NOT!!! 😂😂😂

"Go The Distance" is a very underrated Disney Song.

As a Greek, this movie was peak childhood memories. Back when Disney was a real company!

Yes, fun facts about this Hercules movie James wood says hades is his favourite character he’s ever portrayed, also where Hades says “it’s only half time” it’s actually halfway through the actual movie and then you see a lion rug of scar from the Lion King then were the muses are singing in the garden as the heads that to call back to the haunting mansion ride, there’s also a great video by Jason M. Legrair where he breaks down all the songs from the movie in better depth.

Learning about ancient Greece through Hercules is like learning braille though a calculator

Regular people had contact with the Gods all the time in Greek Mythology. Medusa was the result of one of those encounters and such a sad story.

Fun fact when hades says "it's only halftime" it was literally halfway in the movie

Hercules was actually a Demi God because his mother was human. The part with Scar was a reference from the Lion King when Zazu said he would make a great throw rug.

'Yer a BUM, Herc!' Probably my favorite classic Disney film. Lots of interesting subversions of the typical roles despite being presented as a straightforward 'hero's journey'.

This movie is even FUNNIER when you learn about the actual original stories behind the Greek Pantheon, and how dark and twisted the gods were, especially Hera. Heracles (Hercules for Americans) in particular is VERY tragic, you can see why he was used as inspiration for Kratos from God Of War.

They show Hercules' human parents twice once in the Hercules is a hero montage and at the very end his parents are with him and Meg.

During the zero to hero montage Hercules got his parents a giant house he took care of them.

This is an absolute classic! This was my personal favorite as a kid.

I just realized that 3 90s Disney movies have family as the heroes/villains: Simba/Scar, Hercules/Hades, Ariel/Ursula

Meg has the best voice and just the right amount of sass ❤

To this day, I still love Meg 😂

James Woods as Hades is casting perfection.

FunFact: Hercules is actually a Demi-God, because his birth-father is Zeus and his birth-mother is Alcmene according to Greek Mythology. Hera is Hercules' evil Step-Mother and the main villain, not Hades. they changed the story to give it that "Disney Magic"

1:33 that giggle was cute

The best animated Superman film ever!

Whenever I see someone who has reacted to this movie, I watch it❤ Hercules is my all-time favorite Disney movie, this and beauty and the beast

My gosh I've been watching this on VHS over and over 😅

Hades is voiced by the legendary James Woods. I cannot divorce his voice from my mental image of Hades. He's great.

It was cute how you cheered on Hercules and Megara at the end.

They showed his mortal parents again twice lol.

This is one of my FAVORITE Disney movies of all-time ever since I first saw it when I was little and I'm now almost 31 years old now 😂😂😂

Hades was actually not the bad guy, as per Mythology, it was her "step-mom", Hera. And Hercules is the roman version of Heracles, who was actually greek. So there were a lot of differences (like with Mulan) but this is probably my favorite Disney animated movie.

Mickey in Rocky was Meredith Burgess, AKA the Penguin. Phil in Hercules is Danny DeVito, AKA the Penguin.

There were a few underrated Disney animated movies that came out around during Hercules' time. Tarzan, The Emperor's New Groove, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and Treasure Planet just to name a few. Hope you get to react to those if you haven't seen them yet.

Quick synopsis of the Greek myth around Hercules (aka Heracles): Hercules is a demi-god. Son of Zeus and a mortal woman named Alcmene. Hera, Zeus' wife (and older sister Greek mythology is weird) is angry by Zeus cheating on her and vows revenge on the child. Alcmene in an attempt to make peace with Hera names her child Heracles but the most popular spelling is Hercules, which means (Hera's glory or Glory of Hera). Hercules grows super strong and does some great deeds. He marries Megara (aka Meg from this movie) and they have I think three children with her. Hera drives Hercules into an insane rage, which results in him killing his wife and children. As penance for the killing of his family Hercules is given 12 impossible labors which he must complete. He does and in completing these labors he becomes the most famous of the Greek heroes.

Thank God Herculad came in clutch

14:54: "Two Skunks on their way to Disneyland" in German🇩🇪 Version 😂

The Narrator is Charlton Heston

One of the best Disney Pixar movies

Not sure if you caught it, but not only did Hercules set his mortal parents up for life during the Zero to Hero sequence, but he reuinites with then during the A Star is Born Segment, at the ending! No matter how desperately he wanted to go to Olympus, he never forgot the parents who raised him!

I like that she looked away right as the was celebrating with his human family.

Anybody else notice that both times in this movie where they cut away to mortal parents she was looking away from the screen and proceeded to mention never getting to see them again 😂😂😂😂

If I'm not mistaken hercules was the first Disney movie that tested and used 3D into the film which was used when he fought the hydra

If I had a nickel for every time Danny DeVito played a version of a character popularized by Burgess Meredith, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

It's pretty much since this movie that Hades is always depicted as a bad guy. In actual Greek mythology he's neither good nor bad (and he's way less bad than some of the other gods) but since he rules over the realm of the dead, people tend to think he's bad. He's actually a pretty fair god that mostly minds his business. Zeus on the other hand is petty and not faithful at all and Hera was not a good mom. Hades mostly does his job as ruler of the underworld and that's it.

Mulan 1 & 2, Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin 1,2 & 3, SpaceJam (Just The O.G. With Micheal Jordan), The Little Mermaid 1 & 2, The Lion King 1 & 2 (Seriously I've Always Felt 2: Simba's Pride Is A Forgotten Gem And Just Beautiful) Ferngully, Balto, The Swan Princess, The Land Before Time & The Jetsons Movie.... Just For A Few Of The Most Incredible Animations Of The 80's & 90's 😁

6:42 The "If"-bit is a reference to when Phillip of Macedon sent a message to the spartan army, saying that if he is to march his army into Sparta, he would absolutely annihilate them. The Spartans, the warrior-society known for being the founders of one-liners through the art of laconic speech, sent a reply with the word "IF".

“I wish it would cut back to the mortal parents” proceeds to be too busy jamming to the gospel music to notice both instances of that happening lol

I love the Rocky comparisons you made. I never thought of that! Made me love this movie even more! Thank you! lol

The Muses character design was inspired by the Supremes

If I had a nickel for every time Mary said she wanted to see what happened to Herc’s parents then immediately missed it by closing her eyes to groove to the music I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice.

I'm glad you decided to watch this Mary I love this movie 🙂

I think the real Herc deleted his wife and children while under the influence of a maddening curse. They hired the art director from Pink Floyd's The Wall to get the character's distinctive design look. Yes that was Scar from Lion King used to clean up Phil's face. There is a tiny bit more of Hades post-credits. Herc's adopted parents were at the end, you had your head turned while you were dancing. Pain & Panic were voiced by Matt Frewer (Max Headroom) and Bob Golthwait (Police Academy 2-3) Lilo & Stitch is another animated film with distinctive character designs. The Prince of Egypt is a good non-Disney one with great music.

This and Tarzan are my favorite Disney movies

Pain is voiced by Bobcat Goldthwait, who is best known for playing Zed in the Police Academy franchise and also played the Adrenal Gland in the Epcot attraction Cranium Command at the now-defunct Wonders of Life pavellion.

The part where Hades has to direct the titans to Olympus always cracked me up as a kid, still does😂

Yeah, this was nothing like actual Greek mythology, which is not surprising. Zeus was effectively the main villain in a lot of the stories and if it wasn't him then it was his long-suffering wife Hera trying to mess things up. Generally, Hercules had a pretty tragic life.

This movie is literally just Greek Superman

One of my all time favorite Disney animated films is The Hunchback of Notre Dame. If you haven’t watched it Mary, I highly recommend it. Also, love your movie reactions, been watching your channel content nonstop.

Fun Disney Trivia Fact: Susan Egan, the voice of Meg, was also the first Belle in the Broadway version of Beauty and the Beast.

Best disney soundtrack.

Underrated gem

I never realized it, but you're right, this is basically a Superman movie.

Burt Young, who played Paulie in the Rocky franchise, was actually trained by Cus D'Amato (who trained Floyd Patterson and Mike Tyson) and went 17-0 as a professional. According to Wikipedia: Young served a tour of duty in the United States Marine Corps from 1957 to 1959. While in the Marine Corps, he won 32 of 34 boxing bouts. He later turned pro and compiled a 17-0 record under three different aliases. His manager was Cus D'Amato. 🇺🇸🥊

The two best mythology movies are Jason and The Argonauts from 1963 and Clash of the Titans from 1981.

Thanks Mary, for reacting to this. This is one of my favorite Disney movies of the time. Interesting tidbit, this is pretty much similar not just to Rocky, but to Superman. I mean think about this: *Hercules's parents Zeus and Hera (Disney wise) - Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van (DC): Superman's Kryptonian Parents* *Hercules's adoptive parents Amphitryon and Alcmene (Disney wise) - Martha and Jonathan Kent (DC): Superman's Adoptive Parents* *Hercules's strength and Pegasus (Disney) - Embodiment of Superman's powers (Strength and Flight, along with his other powers)* *Hercules's trainer Phil (Disney) - Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen (DC) and Rocky's trainer Mickey Goldmill/Duke/Apollo Creed (Rocky)* *Hercules's love Meg (Disney) - Superman's love Lois Lane (DC)* *Hercules's foe, Hades (Disney) - Superman's foes, Darkseid/General Zod/Lex Luthor/Brainiac/Metallo etc.(DC)* The Song *Go the Distance* and the quote from this movie was also similar: *Go the Distance (Hercules) - Going the Distance (Rocky)* *"For a True Hero is never measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart/But to look beyond the glory is the hardest part, for a hero's strength is measured by his heart" (Hercules) - Back on the beat, back to the start, trust in your heart, That's the measure of a Man." (Rocky)*

Go The Distance is one of if not my favourite Disney song especially with Michael Bolton version of the song!

18:00 The Learnean Hydra is the nr 1 most famous monster slain by Hercules, next to the Nemean Lion who's impenetrable skin was worn by Hercules as armor. The Hydra was infamously known for immediatly growing two more heads whenever one was decapitated, and for its poisonous breath and acidic blood. After defeating it by cauterizing the neck-stumps post decapitation, Hercules dipped his arrows inthe Hydra's blood to add to his arsenal, which he then gifted to the boy Philoctetes(who was Herc's squire, not mentor), who would then use the arrows to kill Paris in the Trojan War.

Skipping rocks is really easy. All you need is a slim rock and then throw it as hard as you can and as flat as you can if that makes sense. You have to barely skim the water. Imagine your throwing a tiny frisbee on the water you don't wanna just toss it at the water the air will catch it. You want it to glide on the surface

It’s such a weird and inspired choice to make the Greek siren chorus a gospel trio lmao Love this goofy aaa movie

Thats odd that a brain of a bird is considered an insult. Lots of birds are known to be very intelligent.

The most beloved strongman in all of fiction. His legend has inspired many great heroes throughout fantasy. Herc himself has been interpreted into Live-action, animated, film, television, video games, comic books, you name it. In the 1990s, Hercules:The Legendary Journeys with Kevin Sorbo and Young Hercules with Ryan Gosling (both tv series/same universe) were the peak of the hero's popularity. But nothing could prepare us for when Disney would take it on. At first, i wasn't interested. But i had to see what they would do with one of the eldest IPs in history and it was indeed a cool feature. One of the best films of The Disney Renaissance. All the trimmings, well deserved in the summer of 1997. The songs are great of course including "Go The Distance" which is never left out of the Top-Tier Disney movie songs. Even with this adaptation, the truth of Herc's story still holds up. Finding our place in the world, putting our gifts into the right path and always using our heart as our greatest power. Parody of the Rocky franchise?! I think Sly Stallone himself would say as he has said before, "Rocky is the allegory for life in his time as was Hercules in his own, Inspiration parallels and transcends through all". If you wanna see a non-kid friendly version of the legend that is a hardcore story of Good and Evil with no holding back, watch HERCULES (2014) with Dwayne Johnson.

Who better to voice Hades than James Woods. He also did voice work for DC in the animated film Justice League Crisis on Two Earths as Owl Man who is Batman’s evil doppelgänger.

Think this is my favorite disney movie

By the Gods, we all need to hear that Mickey Voice inside, from time to time!

This movie is so good it can make grown people cry, including me

Susan Egan was the voice of Meg, and she based Meg’s mannerisms on various actresses from vintage Hollywood who were known for being sassy dames.

Humans had a lot of contact with gods in greek mythology. Look up Zeus and golden rain and Zeus and swan. Lots of mortal contact in those stories.

Fun fact: When Hades says, "It's only halftime," its at the exact halfway point of the movie.

"It looks like Vegas, why does it look like Vegas?!"

It’s funny you mentioned Herc being similar to Superman, because a lot of classic heroes were inspired by Greek gods and mythological heroes whether by origins, powers, or just costume aesthetics like the capes.

16:38 how whold she know she has a fear of flight if planes was not around yet 😂😂😂😂

That is my all time favourite Disney movie. Also looove the game!

This is a good movie it's been a while since I've seen it

The multi-headed monster is based on a Hydra, cut off one head, two more will take its place.

I am still kind of surprised that Disney made that Oedipus reference, even in passing.

Can't go wrong with a Disney Renasance movie.

Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen even clips from Hercules in like 25 years. I was a teenager working at Disneyland when this came out, and I had to watch the Hercules parade and listen to Zero to Hero twice a day every day for like 3 years. So I thought I never wanted to see or hear Hercules again, but I did enjoy your reaction! It was actually kind of fun and nostalgic hearing some of these songs again. If you’re looking for animated movies, Moana is one of the absolute best ones. I actually listen to the Moana soundtrack (it’s Hawaiian music) quite a bit. Also the Hunchback of Notre Dame is really, really good, and probably the darkest animated film Disney has ever done.